For The Love Of A Liger
by Commodore Jack Sparrow
Summary: A young man and a woman whose family's both started back in the days of the Z.O.S crisis must save Planet Zi from the return of the deadly BDT and the Z.O.S experiment
1. Planet Zi

For many years Zoids and humans fought together to control one thing or the next but no matter how many times they fought it always ended the same; Planet Zi would be left in a shambles, the strong would prey upon the weak, and civilization would be practically non-existent, this is one such incident. 6000 years after the battle for Z.O.S control, Planet Zi needed a new hero and as per usual someone just happened to be in the wrong place at right time.

As per usual the wasteland that was the southern continent of Planet Zi, minus the occasional oasis, was low on water and high on battles, warriors scrambled to get to the southern continent just to test they're skills against the wild Zoids and those that were trained by the desert raised.

No-Kcor City: Zoids Tavern

"Alright boy," slurred the drunken warrior as he grabbed hold of the young man serving his drinks "I didn't like them drinksh so gimie my money backsh!"

"I, I, I" stammered the youth "I'm not allowed to give money back sir,"

"Oh really?" he said trying to focus on the youth "Well in that's case I'ma just gwonna take it out you're hide now stop movin and let me beat the Zi data outta you!"

As the warrior sent a punch straight into the young man's face; the boy ducked and crawled under the table as fast as he could, then the man pulled out an old blaster and leveled it on the boy and was about to pull the trigger when suddenly a pie plate came flying straight at him and knocked the gun out of his hands.

"Hold it Preed!" shouted the young woman standing at the counter dressed in a dark brown robe with the hood pulled over the top of her head to keep the sun out, "You're drunk and if you weren't you wouldn't pick on some kid, so I'll give you a chance to back off."

"A- A- Alright Miss Kat, I won't harm the boy," he said worriedly "I didn't mean no-" then he collapsed in a heap of drunk stupor mixed with stress and a little bit of eggs from the plate he had fallen on.

"Oh God" groaned Kat, "Hey bartender get this idiot up to his room okay?"

"Okay Miss Kat." Said the Bar keep "Hey Jaden!" he shouted to the fifteen-year-old boy working on the outdated computer behind the desk "Get the trash out,"

"It is full?" asked the boy in a strange accent

"No! The drunken doffus on the floor! You west continent ding-dong" said the man holding his head

"I take stupid man upstairs now, not wet the pants." He said cackling

Kat shook her head and left the establishment, Kat was the daughter of the town's governor, not that this gave her any points, her father as well as most of the rest of the town followed one rule; The strong survive. She was a wiry young nineteen-year-old woman who had spine length bronze hair that ended in small tight ringlets and turquoise blue eyes. Even with her cloak on it was obvious that her figure was well laid out, that was another reason that she wore her hood all the time in this and most towns it wasn't safe to be considered pretty or god-forbid beautiful, because of that god forsaken rule that everyone lived by, her mother had died when she was young so she had grown up tough and ready for just about anything.

"Hey beautiful," said a voice Kat turned to see a tall man with a dark violet mask over his green eyes, he also wore a jet black cloak and he reeked with a sent that clearly said 'Dangerous' but her curiosity and pride got the better of her.

"What do you want," she asked

"Why only a minute of you're time" he said smiling "You see I am a little low on funds right now and would very much like a drink could you spare a coin or two?"

"No" she said bluntly

"Oh but madam-"

"Look beggar boy I-" she didn't get to finish because at that moment a dark glove reached out of the shadows and knocked her senseless.

"Is she the one boss?" asked the skinny kid who had hit her; coming out of the shadows it was easy to see that he couldn't be anymore that sixteen.

"Hang on!" he growled as he bent over, pulling he hood down and moving her bronze tresses aside he found what it was he was looking for: a small mark at the top of her spine that was shaped like two circles one inside the other. "This is the one!"

"Really!" gasped the boy

"One of the Zi emperors descendants!" he said ignoring the boy "finally I have found someone besides that ass Alac Prue who bares the mark of the royal family!"

"Dose this mean we can access the old palace?" asked the boy

"It means we can finally get our hands on the remains of the Z.O.S experiment and the Black Draft Team will rise again!"

Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Northern Desert Quadrant.

Like time the sands of the deserts are always in motion and no stranger to travelers who rode they're Zoids or the Zoid Carriers, but it is quite a surprise to see a smoking Zoid Carrier crawling across the desert when so many wild Zoids are on the prowl.

"Come on Jace what's wrong!" asked Alac Prue as he kicked the main console that housed Jace's brain. Alac Prue was a tall lanky young man of 20 his curly dark brown hair that went everywhere, and sparkling brown eyes would have made him look like a child if it weren't for the dark blue Zoids warrior armor, boot length cape, and the fact the he was exactly six feet tall.

"Look just let me get it locked down!" shouted Jace, "being the brain of a giant Zoids mover isn't as easy as it looks!"

"Alright! Look just get the damage locked down so we can activate the cloaking device and the force-field we'll never make it into to town now so just get the defensive weapons activated alright?" said Alac

"Okay," said Jace with that he stopped talking to Alac and went to work.

Alac headed for the launch tubes were Blade, his Blade Liger, slept but as he was about to access the elevator a huge animal jumped onto him and proceeded to lick his face.

"Trigger!" laughed Alac as the Organoid licked him "What do you want?"

The white wolf shaped Organoid looked up at his friend and tilted his head as if he wasn't sure what Alac meant.

"Look Trigger we're camping here tonight why don't you go and get some sleep alright?"

Trigger smiled and headed in the direction of his kennel.

"Goof!" sighed Alac, as he pushed the Elevator button that would send him to the launch tubes he thought about what his dad would so if he was still alive.

Alac was a Zoids pilot, he used Zoids to protect himself when he made deliveries back and forth across the desert lands and he had done so since his father had died, his father had promised that he would teach Alac all there was to know about being a Zoid Warrior but he had died before he got that chance now Alac, Trigger, Jace, and Blade made deliveries and they did it with stile! Alac and Blade were great battlers because of the battles they fought against the wild Zoids that lived in the desert quadrants.

But Alac had never had a chance to even consider becoming a Zoid Warrior, what with the BDT always tracking him and trying to capture him it was no wonder that he led a delivery service.

Trigger was one of the few Organoids left that knew how to access the hidden Z.O.S abilities that resided deep inside his body, and that made the BDT want him even more than they wanted Alac. Jace was a one of the few 3rd generation A.I computer's that was still In existence, after the Great War many of Jace's fellow computers were deactivated and used for spare parts, but not Jace; he had rooted himself into the Zoid Carries mother-board and couldn't be removed, so he had been given to the cousin of the great emperor, Alac's great-great-great-great-great grandfather, and then there was Blade, while most BL's were blue, Blade was a rare albino species of BL that made his hull completely white, his legs were the standard black but his hull was the purist white, he was the only Blade Liger in left in existence and he was proud of it, during the war he had been programmed so that if his body was ever destroyed they would be able to drop his hard-drive and memory disk into either another Liger or his more complex cousin the Liger Zero module. Alac had always been worried that if Blade's body was ever destroyed, he would never be able to find another Liger or Liger-Zero body that could contain such an old and complex hard-drive.

All and all Alac's team was a brave member of desert life and nothing would ever separate them from each other they would be a team forever.

Unfortunately no one ever knows how long forever actually is


	2. A Battles Beginning

For many years Zoids and humans fought together to control one thing or the next but no matter how many times they fought it always ended the same; Planet Zi would be left in a shambles, the strong would prey upon the weak, and civilization would be practically non-existent, this is one such incident. 6000 years after the battle for Z.O.S control, Planet Zi needed a new hero and as per usual someone just happened to be in the wrong place at right time.

Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Northern Desert Quadrant: Alac's Zoid Carrier: Launch Tubes

"Blade?" called Alac "Blade!"

Alac's Blade Liger was curled up in his recharge outlet and looked like he was asleep but when Alac approached Blade lifted his head up and if it was possible; he seemed too smile.

"Hey Blade," said Alac smiling at his large friend "We're camping here tonight are you feeling alright?"

There was a flash of light and the Holo-projector on Blade's left leg produced what looked like an elderly man of at least eighty, it was a projection of Alac's great-great-great-great grandfather Blade's first non-military owner.

Blade was a wartime Liger and was equipped with a projector that copied any human it scanned, then it added it to Blade's memory banks, then Blade could use the scans to make itself a holographic A.I that could communicate with someone who that wasn't a Zoid, Blade could choose any A.I he wanted be the A.I male or female it didn't matter, the A.I didn't have a gender it was only a projecting, but Blade used only one projection and it was for a very special reason.

During the War for Planet Zi, Blade was used as a frontline troop, but after the Zi emperor was overthrown Blade escaped destruction by running into the desert and hiding, that was where Alac's great-great-great-great grandfather Galdorin, who had fled the royal palace shortly before the beginning of the war, had found him, after nursing the wounded Liger back to health Blade joined Galdorin's delivery service as protection, for many years the two were great friends but as so often happens among Humans Galdorin died, and to remember him Blade imprinted the old man into his Holo-Projector and to this day he still used the old man as his A.I.

"It's alright Alac," said Blade's A.I smiling "That last battle wasn't so bad"

"Blade are you crazy?" asked Alac laughing "That 'battle,' as you call it, was composed of four Canory-Molgas and two C. Tortoise. BC's! We were lucky to get out of there with our skin!"

"Oh I don't know, we blew the Molga's sky high and would have taken care of the Tortoise's too if they hadn't gotten their LPC's powered up, good piloting by the way," he said smiling

"Yeah well I only sprained a wrist but you had laser burns all up and down you're paneling!"

"Well if I'd been destroyed the emergency teleportation device would have beamed you back here, and maybe I'd have gotten a chance to see my old friend and original pilot Galdorin again," he said quietly

"Blade! I need you more than my grandfather!" said Alac shocked that his old friend would even suggest such a thing "If you died I don't know what I'd do, you're my better half, without you I wouldn't be able to pilot at all!"

"You give me too much credit old friend," said Blade smiling "you pilot better than even the emperor! You're well practiced with any Zoid and could handle even a Gojulas if you needed to,"

"Oh come on Blade you taught me how to pilot in the first place! When my father died I never would have been able to keep the family business going without you, I mean after all I was only twelve,"

"Alac you were the youngest Zoids pilot in this century," said Blade "and I think you need to believe in yourself a little bit better ok? I'd take it as a personal favor, please?"

"Alright Blade," chuckled Alac as he walked over to the control panel that would activate Blade's hibernation mode and started the activation sequence, "Sleep tight old friend"

"Night Alac"

Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Northern Desert Quadrant: Alac's Zoid Carrier: Dormitory

"Hey Trigger," said Alac smiling as he head for the fresher "feeling sleepy?"

"_Yeah" _thought the wolf-shaped Organoid telepathically "_How are you?_"

"I'm okay." Said Alac digging through his sock drawer

"_You're worried about Blade" _

"This whole telepathic link is really annoying when you read my thoughts Trigger" said Alac as he removed his armor

"_I didn't have too, you're body language practically wreaks of worry and also Blade's smell is all over you're body and I can feel that the source of the smell comes from you worrying about Blade," _thought Trigger matter-of-factly

"He's just so old and tired, I should have shut him down and added his memories to the Zoid archive at X'tnatum City years ago but I just couldn't do it.

"_You're afraid of giving up that part of you're past its understandable_"

"That reminds me why wouldn't you talk to me earlier?" asked Alac

"_My body was moving_?"

"Yeah" said Alac confused

"_I was practicing my Z.O.S ability and you know how my body goes into a dormant state when I activate the Z.O.S right?" _asked Trigger telepathically

"Yeah"

"_Well sometimes when I'm in my energy form my body wakes up and having only its motor skills it goes on little jaunts around the Carrier,"_ thought Trigger_ "that explains why it took me so long to come out of my energy form though_"

"You should chain your body down," said Alac climbing into the fresher

"Alert! Alert! Alert!" shouted Jace's voice on the comm. "We have multiple BDT Zoids inbound!"

"Is the cloak shield still up?" asked Alac as he reattached his armor

"Affirmative but the Zoids smell the Carrier and if you don't get out there and fight them before I get the scent guard back up they'll be right on top of us!"

"Great!" groaned Alac "Come on Trigger"

"_Coming boss_" thought Trigger as he pulled on his miniature helmet and waste guard.

"What happened to the scent guard?" asked Alac as he ran to the launch tubes.

"They were damaged in the last battle and I pulled them up for repair while you were talking to Blade, I think that's why the BDT Zoids stopped to investigate," said Jace annoyed "we weren't supposed to need the scent guard! We only had Wild Zoids to worry about and they won't bother us as long as we've got our shock guns activated,"

"Well fix the guard! I don't know how long we can hold off the BDT so get it fixed or get the engines fixed whichever comes first," said Alac as he pushed the Elevator button for the Launch Tubes.

Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Northern Desert Quadrant: Alac's Zoid Carrier: Launch Tubes.

"Blade! We've got multiple BDT Zoids looking for a fight and if we don't take care of them they'll take care of us, are you ready for a launch sequence?" asked Alac

Blade stood up, gave a loud roar, and activated his battle armor.

"Lets go!" shouted Alac as he jumped into the cockpit "Trigger get in position and wait for my signal!"

"_Got it boss_," thought Trigger as he climbed into his small bubble and got ready to go into his energy form.

"Activate Launch Tubes!" shouted Alac

The tube opened and Blade headed out as fast as he could, as Blade ran across the sands they got a first look at their adversaries; there was a Gojulas Giga, a Konig Wolf DSR, and two Lighting Siax BS's.

"Damn that's Graiden's Gojulas!" said Alac as he turned to get a better look at the enemy Zoids "What do you think Blade?"

A small hologram of Blade's A.I appeared on the control panel and said, "They haven't seen us yet,"

"_I don't think it really matters whether they've seen us or not we're going to fight them aren't we?" _called Trigger telepathically from his small bubble.

"We are screwed beyond a doubt this time boys" said Alac

"If we die today we die with honor," said Blade

"How is that going to help us?" asked Alac

"It seemed like the right thing to say," said Blade sheepishly

"Here we go boys," said Alac as he activated Blades weapons "Bring it on Graiden!"


	3. A Hero's End

For many years Zoids and humans fought together to control one thing or the next but no matter how many times they fought it always ended the same; Planet Zi would be left in a shambles, the strong would prey upon the weak, and civilization would be practically non-existent, this is one such incident. 6000 years after the battle for Z.O.S control, Planet Zi needed a new hero and as per usual someone just happened to be in the wrong place at right time.

Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Northern Desert Quadrant.

"Bring it on Graiden!" shouted Alac "Blade Extend Laser Blades one and two!"

"Yes sir!" said Blade

"Trigger prepare to transfer to you're energy state on my mark!"

"_Got it boss_" thought Trigger

"Ok Blade go to full speed, head at those Siax's and cut them in half," said Alac

"But what about the Gojulas?" Blade asked

"One thing at a time I've got a plan for the monster" chuckled Alac

Blade nodded and at full speed headed for two Siax's with his Blades extended and cut the two Zoids in half, the Konig was a different story it saw the mistake it's two partners had made and intended not to share there destruction, dodging each of Blade's attacks he sent a volley of energy charged bullets straight into Blade's cockpit.

"Alac!" shouted Blades A.I worriedly

"I'm alright Blade I just twisted my wrist I'll be okay," said Alac "Trigger are you ready?"

"_Ready when you are_,"

"Ok" said Alac "Blade activate you're repair-jets!"

"What?" Blade asked confused

"Just do it!" said Alac tiredly

"Okay" said Blade

Blade launched his repair jets and suddenly flew into the air.

"Better hurry Alac I've only got two minutes on the reserve tanks!" said Blade worriedly

"Don't worry Blade." Said Alac smiling "Trigger on the count of ten,"

"_Ten" _thought Trigger

"Blade manipulate yourself to bring you're weapons to bear on the Konig!"

"_Six" _

"I'm on the mark Alac!" said Blade's A.I

"_Two" _

"Steady" said Alac

"_One"_

"Z.O.S activation code Alac-Sigma-Alpha-One-Oh-Nine!" shouted Alac

With a flash of white light Trigger launched from his cockpit and entered Blades body, then with a blast of EP energy Blade's right and left Laser Blades activated and Blade said.

"Blade unified Trigger ready for orders from pilot" said Blade's A.I in a strange voice, then with a flash of light Blades A.I reshaped itself to look like Trigger.

"Alright boys activate Z.O.S special plasma cannon now!" shouted Alac

"Obedience complicity activation sequence in Three. Two. One" with a rush of green light a huge Plasma Cannon appeared on Blade's back that sent a blast of supercharged plasma straight at the offending Konig, for a moment the Konig's energy field was disrupted and his weapons non-functional; a moment was all Blade-Trigger needed, as soon as he hit the sand Blade-Trigger used his Z.O.S enhanced speed to run and sliced the Konig in half.

"Quick before you lose the Z.O.S charge use a recharge cable to disable the Gojulas!" shouted Alac

Blade-Trigger launched a small black cable that latched onto the Gojulas Giga's and sent a huge charge of Z.O.S energy straight through the Gojulas's power banks overloading and disabling the Giga.

"Alright!" shouted Alac

"Uh boss" came Jace's voice over the comm. Unit "The Giga will only be disabled for ten minutes"

"Losing Z.O.S stability," said Blade-Trigger "Restoring original form of singular entities Blade and Trigger." With a flash of white light Trigger re-appeared in his cockpit and Blades A.I returned to its original shape.

"Alac a communiqué for you," said Blade's A.I tiredly

"Put it through," said Alac messaging his wrist

"Captain?" called Jace

"Yeah Jace?" asked Alac

"I'm picking up a weak life sign in the general direction of the Giga's left claw," said Jace

"_What sort of life sign_?" Trigger telepathically asked

"Human" said Jace

"Can you transport the Human back to the carrier?" asked Alac

"Yeah but I can only handle one human and an Organoid, if you need another transportation it'll take a few minutes for my power packs to recharge." Said Jace

"Alright get him or her out of there." Said Alac

"I've got the human," said Jace

"How… Long… till the engines are repaired" said Blade exhaustedly

"I got the engines back up we can leave at any time." Said Jace

"Then lets get out of here," said Alac

"Alert! Alert! Gojulas systems reactivating!" shouted Jace

Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Northern Desert Quadrant: cloaked Zoid controller.

"What the Hell is going on!" shouted Graiden

"We just lost the Konig and the Gojulas is powered down sir!" said Maldan, the young kid from earlier was trying to get a scan of the Blade Liger.

"What about the Cargo?" Graiden asked

"The cargo just got transported out of the small cage in the Gojulas's left claw sir!" said Benad, the young woman was trying to reactivate the Gojulas's main power supply the problem was that the pilot had been knocked senseless and was out cold.

"If it wasn't for the fact that we have our holds so full of swag that prisoner would be ours and because of your faulty shield design that woman is now in the hands of the damn ass Alac Prue!" shouted Graiden

"What should we do sir?" asked Benad

"Is the energy cable still attached to the hull of my Gojulas?" asked Graiden

"Yes sir" said Malden

"Activate the self-destruct sequence and put that damned Alac out of his misery!"

Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Northern Desert Quadrant.

"What!" asked Alac shocked

"They're prepping the self-destruct sequence!" shouted Jace suddenly there was a burst of static and contact with Jace was severed.

"Blade what happened?" shouted Alac

"Lost… contact… carrier… possibly… be-… jammed…" said Blade shakily

"Stay with me Blade!" shouted Alac "Trigger can you reactivate you're energy form and give Blade a charge?"

"_I'm afraid not I'm almost as drained as he is_"

"Alac… Alac… in case I don't make it through this I want you to check behind my power outlet in the launch-tubes, inside you will… find… disk… containing-" with a burst of static Blades energy system powered down.

"Blade? Blade!" shouted Alac "Blade!"

"_He's drained_" Trigger telepathically replied, "_We have to get out of here boss"_

"We can't leave Blade!" shouted Alac

"Alac" came a soft voice

"Blade?" called Alac

"Leave me" Blade said softly

"No I have to save you old friend," said Alac tearfully "We'll get you recharged and patched-up you'll be good as new,"

"You've already saved me," said Blade, even though his A.I was powered down Blades A.I's was still using the speakers to communicate with his pilot, "You gave me my best final run and I thank you for it, you are the closest thing I have to a cub and I am proud to call you my pilot."

"Look Blade-" Alac started

The speaker abruptly cut off and Alac could hear Blade, who was imitating his voice, saying.

"This is Alac Prue to Jace! Come in Jace!"

"I'm here captain what's wrong?" asked Jace

"Is the E.T.S activated?" asked Blade in Alac's voice

"Yeah I can transport you and Trigger back to the ship and we can get out of here at any time you want sir," said Jace confused

"Transport both of us to the Med-Lab immediately!" said Blade

"But what about Blade I can't trans-"

"Activate Transport Now!" shouted Blade

"Transporting now!" said Jace uncertainly

"Blade No!" shouted Alac as he vanished from the Cockpit

"Goodbye old friend." Said Blade; with a flash of energy the Gojulas exploded overloading Blades shields, and in a matter of seconds Blade was gone.


	4. Past and Present

For many years Zoids and humans fought together to control one thing or the next but no matter how many times they fought it always ended the same; Planet Zi would be left in a shambles, the strong would prey upon the weak, and civilization would be practically non-existent, this is one such incident. 6000 years after the battle for Z.O.S control, Planet Zi needed a new hero and as per usual someone just happened to be in the wrong place at right time.

"Goodbye old friend." Said Blade; with a flash of energy the Gojulas exploded overloading Blades shields, and in a matter of seconds Blade was gone, using Blade's explosion as cover Jace activated his turbo-engines and shot away like a bat out of hell.

Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Northern Desert Quadrant: cloaked Zoid controller.

"Is that it?" asked Graiden "Are we finally rid of that bastard Alac?"

"Yes sir we can no longer pick up any transmissions from the cloaked carrier or from the Liger."

"Excellent," said Graiden

"What about the Caches sir?" Benad asked.

"There are two more family's out there and one of them is bound to have the gene," said Graiden

"But what if they don't sir?" asked Benad

"There is no 'don't' lieutenant! We will have those weapons."

"Yes sir!"

Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Southern Desert Quadrant: Med Lab 1 aboard Jace

"Oh!" groaned Kat "God my head! It feels like it's in a- what's this thing on my head?" as the young woman put her hands to her forehead, she could feel a small metal device that had latched onto her skull, not knowing what it was Kat tried to remove it, only to be stopped by a voice that said "I would not remove that if I was you,"

"Who said that!" shouted Kat, there was no reply so Kat made her way out of the room she was in. Wherever she was it was beautiful! The walls straight and solid, not like the straw or the ugly stone that lined the huts and caves that her people had been forced to live in, but honest to goodness walls!

Computers lined the walls all of them beeping and chirping as they went about their work. Three little robots rolled along the floor, one had a small arm with a broom attached, one had an arm with a mop attached, and the last one had two arms and a miniature heater lining its levitation regulator on the bottom of its hover panel that helped it move across the floor. The arm on the front of the small droid had a miniature floor buffer with a wax dispenser nozzle on the tip. The heater would quickly dry the wax, and the hand at the rear of the droid had a small roll of cheesecloth that finished polishing as it moved along.

"Where am I?" asked Kat out loud.

"You are on the twelfth generation Jaldor All Climate Express unit, or as I like to call myself-" with a flash of light a young man of about thirty-two in a dark blue uniform with black tassels on the shoulders and two silver rank tabs on his right sleeve appeared out of nowhere and said "Jace,"

"Jace?" asked the confused woman.

"I am Jace." Said the man "Or at least I'm one of my holographic A.I's that I can use to more actively talk to the organics that live inside of the Z carrier."

"There more than one of you?" she asked trying to understand what the man was saying

"I am the brain of a giant Z carrier and therefore I have no specified gender," with a flash a young brunet woman of about twenty stood in Jace's place, with the new A.I's voice Jace said "I can be a tall, skinny, well endowed brunet," with another flash of light an old man stood in Jace's place and said "I can be old as the hills, I use these different A.I's to confuse anyone who is trying to get onto the carrier," then with a final flash of light Jace's original AI returned. "I prefer this one though, it is the A.I that I used when I was in the E.S though I haven't had a reason too use an AI for the past few years, it served me well in the past and it will continue to be a good choice in my opinion."

"So you control this huge whatever it is?"

"First of all," said Jace indignantly "this is a multi-purpose Zoid Carrier, and second of all I am merely the pilot Captain Alec Prue is the controller of the ship."

"Alec Prue!" gasped Kat in surprise "That's the man those idiots who captured me asked so many questions about."

"Well I'm not surprised, those BDT morons would do just about anything to get their hands on Alec," said Jace

"Why do they want him?"

"We don't really know, we know they want me because I am a war-machine and-"

"War machine!" she confusedly asked.

"What do you think E.S stands for? Eat sausage? I am a twelfth generation Zoid carrier employed in the Emperors Service! Or I was until the end of the Z Empire."

"The Z Empire!" shouted Kat "You're telling me that you are 4000 years old?"

"6000 to be exact." Said Jace proudly

"But then how old is that Prue guy?" asked the girl

"This is going to take some time," said Jace shaking his head.

Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Southern Desert Quadrant: Emergency Medical Unit aboard Jace.

"Ah!" screamed Alac as he woke up from his nightmare, "Blade? Blade! Where are you? Jace!" there was no response from the computer as the young man stood up the memories came flashing back, the battle, the drain from Blade's EP tanks, and Blade sacrificing his own life to save Alac's.

"Blade," sighed Alac "You didn't have to do this, I can't be a Z-pilot without you, let alone a Z-warrior!"

"_Are… you… okay… Alac?_" Trigger thought weakly too his partner.

"Trigger? Are you alright?" asked Alac as he looked at the pale form of his Organoid friend.

"_I'm… fine… Al… ac… I'm just… low… power…_"

"Get some sleep buddy, okay?" asked Alac as he covered up the exhausted Organoid.

"_You… go… it… boss,_" thought Trigger as his Z.O.S energy finally allowed the tired animal to sleep.

Puling his cape on over his brown shirt and white pants Alac stepped out of the Emergency Medical Unit, and headed for the Zoid Socket Level.

Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Southern Desert Quadrant: Zoid Socket Level Aboard Jace.

"Blade," said Alac softly, as he looked around the SL he remembered the entry he had made in his journal about his first encounter with the Zoid behemoth. "My grandfather had taken me along for my first ride aboard Jace, though it wasn't the first time I'd met the ancient computer that controlled and continues to control the Zoid Carriers main systems." Alec thought to himself "Halfway through the Eastern Quadrant, three BDT Cannory Molga's came out of nowhere and attacked us. I'll never forget that battle, Blade's albino plating and my grandfathers battle armor flashing in the sun as the two partners sprang from the Launch Tubes and sliced the intruders in half, and just as Blade was about to hack the other one up, he stopped, lifted that huge paw and let the Zoid go! I'll never forget the Zoid as it ran away howling into the Desert. Then grandpa and Blade came back and acted as if nothing had happened!

"I've wanted to be a warrior ever since that day," Alec thought, "I'll never be a warrior now, I'm not even a pilot without Blade,"

Between Alec and Trigger, the Zoid Carriers internal Med-Scanner normally picked up only two life-readings. But as Alec headed for the bridge he passed an internal Med-Scanner and he noticed something; there was a third life-signature, quite near Trigger's room.

"Jace!" shouted Alec as tried yet again to reach the Zoid computer on his Com-Watch. "Jace! Where are you?"

Having no other choice Alec activated the override switch next to the Med-Scanner and brought in the Calvary. The seldom-used override switch was covered in dust; it was the only thing that the zippers didn't clean when they made their daily exit from the zip storage den, or Z.S.D, and headed down the corridors to run maintenance and sanitize the halls and the bridge. The override switch was one of the most dangerous things onboard the Zoid Carrier, it was set in place to automatically override the main system avatar and call up the Zoid Carrier's main hard-drive herself. Or as she preferred to be called: Maiden.

"M this is Alec come in… M? M!" shouted Alec as he tried to reach the Zoid Carriers hard-drive.

Suddenly there was a burst of static and a wizened face appeared on the Med-Scanner. "Who… wishes… to… see… me…?" asked Maiden slowly

"Maiden its me, I need you're help" said Alec as he headed for the weapons locker.

Maiden appeared on his com-watch's screen and said, "Bother… My… Son… Captain… I… am… old… and… I… no… longer… am… in charge… of any… more… than safety… and… protection of… my… son's crew"

"Look," said Jace as he pulled on his Battle Armour, "I know Jace was made from you're hard-drive components all those years ago, and I know that you're memory is still built inside that hard-drives shell, and I know you hate it when I bother you-"

"Then… Why… Do… You?"

"Because something's wrong with Jace, I can't reach him on the communicator and I need you to transport me to the Med-Lab." Maiden didn't reply; she didn't need to, because suddenly Alec was standing in the middle of the Med-Lab right next to Triggers room.


	5. Her Majesty Enters

For many years Zoids and humans fought together to control one thing or the next but no matter how many times they fought it always ended the same; Planet Zi would be left in a shambles, the strong would prey upon the weak, and civilization would be practically non-existent, this is one such incident. 6000 years after the battle for Z.O.S control, Planet Zi needed a new hero and as per usual someone just happened to be in the wrong place at right time.

**Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Southern Desert Quadrant: Zoid Socket Level Aboard Jace.**

'Because something's wrong with Jace,' said Alec, 'I can't reach him on the communicator and I need you to transport me to the Med-Lab.' Maiden didn't reply: she didn't need to, because suddenly Alec was standing in the middle of the Med-Lab right next to Triggers room.

**Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Southern Desert Quadrant: Med Lab 1 aboard Jace**

'Trigger?' whispered Alec, 'Trigger!' Alec continued to quietly and carefully move around the Med-Lab, when suddenly there was a 'rolf!' and Alec was laying on the floor with Triggers body right on top of him, 'Trigger?' asked Alec, the large Organoid just tilted his head and continued to lick Alec's face, 'Great!' groaned Alec, 'Your minds locked in its energy form isn't it?' Trigger smiled and climbed off his partner, 'I'll take that as a yes,' said Alec shaking his head, with a snap he un-curled the small lead that Trigger had asked him to use if this ever happened again, and tied the Organoids body too the table-leg and told him to stay.

**Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Southern Desert Quadrant: Hallway just outside of Med-Lab 1 aboard Jace**

'Alright, now listen,' said Jace, this woman was persistent and he didn't have anything to loose by telling her, 'I don't precisely know Alec's history per-say, all I know is that he was the son of my former Captain," Kat nodded and waited for Jace to continue. 'You see I was the only one of my kind to survive the great extermination, when the Z-Empire was attacked by the Rebels. Who I might add were destroyed six years into their rule, and when they stormed the fortress my brothers and sisters rode out to fight them,' Jace sat down on the small bench and looked at the wall- or beyond it, as if he was flying into his past, 'We were winning, then the Rebels did the most horrible thing known to my kind, earlier they had been using rifles that fired small nano-spiders that proceeded to plug themselves into the computer cores of my brothers and sisters.' Jace shuddered as if remembering something horrible, perhaps something out of the past he was visiting.

'At first nothing happened, then suddenly, when we thought we'd finally managed to push the Rebels back, they activated a special virus, this virus overrode my siblings main hard drives, completely wiped out their mother boards and took complete control of their bodies, I wasn't affected because I had been damaged when the Rebels had been launching the nano-spiders, and so I was forced to… to kill my family, or at least what was left of them, they weren't the carriers I'd grown up with, those that still had enough of their individuality asserted asked- No begged me to end their suffering,' Jace sighed, 'And I- I- I did. After the battle it was clear who had lost, I was forced to run with the Queen and the Emperor, to a safe haven where they did… well I don't know what they did, as soon as we arrived I was shut down and the next thing I knew I was standing in some smugglers store-house, the King and Queen were dead, and all I had left was this… this strange pregnant woman who kept staring at me and an elderly man with a long beard.'

'That must have been horrible!' said Kat, 'A warrior suddenly forced to go into hiding after all his years of fighting, too be forced to exterminate your own race…' she stopped, suddenly Jace looked a lot older and sadder than she had originally thought, 'I'm sorry,' she said sympathetically.

'It makes no difference,' said Jace regaining his composure, 'I failed to protect the King and his Wife, I will not fail to protect the descendant of the man and woman who saved me all those years back,'

**Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Southern Desert Quadrant: Med Lab 1 aboard Jace**

Alec heard voices, a male and female it sounded like, he checked the power level on his Zoid Energy Power Blade (or ZEP-Blade for short) he fingered the small pistol in his hand and with a snap he pulled on his helmet, and jumped into the hallway.

**Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Southern Desert Quadrant: Hallway just outside of Med-Lab 1 aboard Jace**

Jace stood up and smiled, 'But we've talked enough and you need to get back to the-' suddenly Jace saw someone move in the shadows, a man in Imperial Zoid Battle Armor, 'Alec?' asked Jace.

'How does this man know my name?' Alec wondered, 'And why does he look so familiar?' Alec shook his head and decided Jace would have a chance to scan this… whoever he was later, with a flash of blue energy Alec fired straight at the man's chest,

'Oh great!' groaned Jace as the energy bolt hit the holo-projecter inside his chest cavity and shorted it out, with a whoosh the holo-projecter shut down and the robotic skeleton the had supported the holo-projecter collapsed.

Kat gasped as an energy bolt hit Jace and he vanished, leaving only a smoking metal skeleton and the faint whiff of melting plastic left over from the robots wiring. Kat spun on her heel and dodged the other shot, then she ran into her room and grabbed a small energy rifle that was sitting in the wall-socket and waited for whatever it was that had killed Jace.

**Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Southern Desert Quadrant: Jace's main hard drive**

'I'm sorry mother,' said Jace for the umpteenth time, Maiden had been yelling at him for the past twenty minutes about how back in her day, an Avatar never allowed its Captain to disturb the infinite memories that dwelled deep inside a Zoid Carriers mind.

'Why what would your great-great grandfather Gustav have said,' she continued to bicker, she was awake now and wanted to make sure that when she went back to sleep that she would stay asleep, 'if your great-grandmother had woken him up, Hmmm?"

'Look mother,' said Jace annoyed. 'We both know that our species has no specific gender and-'

'Don't give me that Olpa!' she grunted, 'You know that the last two Z-Carrier controllers leaned more towards being female, each member of our species has a gender preference,'

'Yes mother,' said Jace, 'Look,' he said as he closed his eyes and began to re-assert his control over the Z-Carrier, 'The Captain and that girl are going to kill each-other if I don't get down there, I promise not to bother you anymore alright?'

'Good boy… Jace,' she said as her personality began to re-join her ancestors in the eternal data-stream that was Jace's mind, 'Thank… you… for… listening…' and with that M returned to her comfortable slumber and left Jace to his business.

**Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Southern Desert Quadrant: Med Lab 1 aboard Jace**

The two humans continued to shoot at each other across the room, Alec yanked out his ZEP-Blade and ran towards… whatever it was he was facing, a monster, some great big burly pirate whatever, he was going to end it now.

Kat saw the armored shadow headed for her, she rolled under a table as he swung some yellow glowing blade at her and grabbed a table leg to use as a club, with a crack she swung the make-shift club at the shadows head and knocked the helmet off of his head- revealing a sweating young man of about twenty, Kats eyes widened, 'A man?' suddenly the realization hit her, 'This must be that Captain Prue!'

Alec couldn't believe what he saw, a young woman, her body draped in nothing but a white hospital night-gown, he blushed and turned his head, the night-gown was meant for sleeping in, and the light was streaming through her clothes, 'I- I- I assume your that human we rescued,' he said as he pointed to a small closet, 'There's some- some clothes in that coset- I mean closet that might- um suit your needs,' turning on his heel he promptly marched out of the Med-Lab, 'I'm going to kill Jace!' he thought to himself as he headed for the bridge.

**Planet Zi: Southern Continent: Southern Desert Quadrant: Captains Ready Room onboard Jace.**

'Yes Alec,' said Jace, 'I purposely didn't bother to tell you about the injured woman in our Med-Lab,'

'Well it wouldn't have hurt to answer me when I called you on the com-watch!' said Alec as he removed his armor, he didn't like sleeping this close to the bridge but this room made an excellent place to change out of sweaty armor, 'I mean she was… half naked, and- and- and all… articulate!' he was still embarrassed for trying to chop the head of an injured woman.

'Look, you're the one who activated the emergency override!' shouted Jace, 'If I have to listen to M tell me what a bad Avatar I am one more time I'm going to kill myself!'

There was a whoosh as the lift opened up and Kat emerged onto the bridge, she was wearing the female version of Jace's Imperial Uniform, and she didn't seem to be enjoying the uniform at all. 'Captain?' she called, standing right outside the lift, she was used to people doing just what she said, why shouldn't they? She was a governor's daughter; she was the only one who'd kept the village running all those years. 'Captain!' she shouted Alec came onto the bridge and crossed his arms, 'What can I do for you, miss?' he asked, trying not to start trouble.

'Its Miss Katrina Valen,' she said sternly, 'And I demand that you take me home right now!'

'How about I just drop you off here your majesty?' he said cocking an eyebrow, 'Or better yet, you can leave me here and take my Zoid Carrier, would that work?'

Kat narrowed her eyes, 'Look you overgrown Galpa; I don't have time to bother with you! If you don't take me home I'll- well I'll…' Kat was trying to muster up some sort of punishment that would get him to turn this crate around and take her home when Jace chimed in.

'If you don't take her home she'll never shut up,' said Jace smugly.

Alec stared at her and then looked at Jace, 'What are you waiting for?' he asked Jace, 'Fire up those engines!' Kat grinned as Alec sat down at the captain's chair, activated the pilot's interface, turned the carrier around and headed towards the northern dessert.


End file.
